


Dear Yu(u)ri

by Heyitsline



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: 2 years before Sochi, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxious Katsuki Yuuri, Confident Katsuki Yuuri, Depressed Victor Nikiforov, Depression, Katsuki Yuuri & Yuri Plisetsky Friendship, M/M, Not Beta Read, Pining Victor Nikiforov, Protective Victor Nikiforov, Protective Yuri Plisetsky, Supportive Victor Nikiforov, Touch-Starved Victor Nikiforov, Yuri Plisetsky Is Protective of Katsuki Yuuri, Yuri Plisetsky Is a Katsuki Yuuri Fan, Yuri Plisetsky Swears, his fans help him
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29112216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heyitsline/pseuds/Heyitsline
Summary: Katsuki Yuuri is an okay skater with a few fans, none of which he’s made a significant impact on. Or so he thought. When he finds out he has fan mail, he is skeptical but it ends up changing his season. He has people who look up to him and are rooting for him. He can’t let them down.And when he receives a nice passive aggressive letter from a teenager in Russia, he never imagined he would gain a friend out of it.Yuri Plisetsky was not expected a response when he wrote a letter to his favorite skater. He just had to tell him that his skating was good and he better up the difficulty before Yuri kicked his ass in seniors.But Yuuri responded and wanted him to write back, in fact they kept writing letters back and forth. He was becoming friends with his idol.And somehow Yuuri had gotten him to sympathize with the silver haired idiot. Maybe Viktor was more sad then he let on...This season was going to be different, skating, friends, relationships, and family.‘Dear Yuuri Katsuki,Your skating is not terrible.Well that was one way to start a letter...’
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri & Victor Nikiforov, Katsuki Yuuri & Yuri Plisetsky, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Phichit Chulanont & Katsuki Yuuri, Victor Nikiforov & Yuri Plisetsky
Comments: 175
Kudos: 519





	1. Chapter 1

Yuuri Katsuki had never received fan mail before. Or so he thought.

He was getting ready to leave the rink after nightly practice when one of the workers approached him.

"You're Yuuri Katsuki right?"

"That's me, can I help you?"

"You should clear your mailbox every once and a while. It's getting full."

"Mailbox?"

She squinted at him as if accessing him for faked confusion. "Huh, your coach should have told you about them. Well, here," she trusted a key out at him. "Give it to me once you get everything, the mailroom is over there."

He glanced at the door she was gesturing at, it was next to the office but he had never noticed it before. "Why do I have mail?"

She looked at him as if he were crazy. "You skaters fall too much. You're number 41, hurry up."

Yuuri chooses not to respond this time, he walked over to the room in hazy confusion. It was a small room, lined with tiny P.O. Boxes. He found number 21, it even had a sticker with his name on it.

He put the key in and a few papers immediately fell to the ground. He looked inside, a few letters and a package or two, he picked the ones that fell off the ground and moved to return the key.

"Um, thank you." He said, giving the lady back the key. She was a bit rude but that was just how Americans were, he had learned that quickly.

He still wasn't sure what to make of all this mail, but it looked harmless. He stuck it in his bag and started back to his apartment.

He greeted Phichit when he got home and went to shower, forgetting about the mail as he went about his nightly routine.

Finally, he finished his homework around one am and settles in bed to sleep. Which would be great if he didn't have insomnia and anxiety that kept him up most of the night.

He hated this part of sleeping, his thoughts were plagued with negative energy. Remembering every little embarrassing thing he has ever done, or thinking of all those times he fell during practice or those times he hadn't realized he was being hit on until Phichit told him afterward.

He's choreographing a dance in his mind that he knows won't go anywhere, but he's debating getting up and working on it physically. He's always enjoyed choreography, he thinks that one day he may be confident enough to choreograph a skating routine but it's unlikely it will happen, he's content with Celestino for now.

He's about to get up when he remembers the mail. He throws the covers off and turns the lights on, putting his glasses on so he could see. He picks the first envelope out, it's from Japan. He opens it, there's a colorful letter decorated with stickers and drawings, he starts to read. It's fanmail...

He has never gotten fan mail before, sure he knew he had a few fans but he wasn't significant enough to get letters. Well, apparently he was.

But if this one was from a fan, did that mean the rest of them were? There were many thirty letters and five packages, that was way more than he ever thought he would get. His felt heat rise to his cheeks as he continued to read, the fan was giving him a lot more credit than he deserved. But he meant a lot to this young girl. It would be a crime not to respond, the envelope had a return address on it.

He wrote a quick letter, doing some of his own drawings on the back based on what the girl had said in her letter. He put it to the side, he could mail it out later.

He picked up another letter and read, again feeling compelled to respond. Two hours later he had read and responded to ten letters.

Most of them were just gushing about his skating and polite comments, thanking him for bringing glory to Japan and rooting him on. Some of them were short and sweet, but he couldn't not respond. If he had sent mail to Viktor and gotten a response, he would have been so happy. He bet Viktor got ten times the fanmail he did.

He paused when he noticed one of the few packages was from America, it was the first thing not from Japan. He gasped when he saw what was inside. Inside was a handmade Viktor Nikiforov figurine and a bag of gummy candies. There was a letter explaining that the fan had made the figure herself after seeing merch in the background of Phichit's Instagram post.

Yuuri cursed Phichit for posting something so embarrassing but also thanked him because the figure was glorious, the fan was seriously talented. He started writing a thank you note and asked if there was any way he could support their work as it should be paid for.

Maybe he could commission one with long hair...

He was surprised by the next letter that was from Italy, it was written in passable English. Who knew he had fans in more than just Japan. This guy was an older fan who was a big fan of Celestino back in the day. He was sad that the Italian skater wasn't coaching an Italian but complemented Yuuri's skating. And Yuuri had a large Italian fan base that carried over from his coach.

He felt touched, he knew there were always people who insisted athletes should be loyal to their home countries, and he knew he had some Italian critics. But to know he had a large support base in Italy, he wanted to show them that he was worth Celestino's coaching.

He had found a few other letters from Italy in the pile, they were similar. One of them had mentioned he had an online Italian fan club. His curiosity got the better of him and he looked it up, shocked by the number of people in it, a couple hundred. And if that was just the people who had gone through the extra effort of joining his fan club, there had to be a lot more.

These fan letters were opening his eyes a whole lot, he had even shed a few tears. There were so many people behind him, he didn't want to let them down.

Yuuri glanced at the clock, he had stayed up the whole night reading and responding. That was better than being stuck in his head at least.

He chose to open one more before getting up for his morning run. It was another Japanese fan.

_Dear Katsuki-Kun,_

_Please forgive me if I'm wrong, but I first saw you skating when you were fifteen. It was a national competition, I was there in person. I walked by you on the way to my seat, you looked like you were in your head, I noticed your hands were shaking. I saw myself at that moment, I was a thirteen-year-old who had been diagnosed with severe anxiety when I was a child. I've always loved music and I've been told I'm pretty talented but I had never been able to perform in front of people. I was six years old once, signing my favorite new song in my room when I noticed my mom had been watching the whole time. I was driven into an anxiety attack, I thought I was going to die._

_Once I calmed down my mother had expressed her desire to show off my talent, sign me up for lessons, and talent shows. I was petrified, but I couldn't say no to her. The lessons were fine since I had known the coach all my life, I was still shaking, and I never sang as well as I did by myself but as I got more comfortable with her I became less nervous. But when they tried to get me to perform I had serval anxiety attacks, one so severe before a performance my mom thought I was having a heart attack and rushed me to a hospital. My family wasn't very familiar with mental health issues so they were very surprised to find out my diagnosis. My mom was more annoyed that it was a mental issue and said I would get over it eventually._

_She stopped signing me up for performances until 'I got over it,' but I didn't. I wanted to sing but I was too afraid. My older cousin was a skating fan and took me to see you, when I saw you shaking, blocking out your surroundings, and focusing on the music on your phone, I thought to myself. "He must have anxiety too. He's like me." I didn't know you were a performer until I saw you step out on the ice. I saw you were still nervous as you walked up to the rink but when you started to skate it melted all away. You became this confident beast of a skater who performed beautifully. My cousin said it was one of your best performances, and that you sometimes messed up but no one knew why. I knew why, it was what caused me to mess up when I sang._

_But you were still skating despite your anxiety. It inspired me to keep signing, I couldn't perform, not just like that, but I knew I wanted to. I would watch your every performance, every time I would see a confirmation about my theory, the slight shake in your body, the zoning out during interviews, how you fled the first chance you got. Some people think you're cold but I know better than that. Throughout the years, seeing you perform has helped me tremendously. I'm perusing music in university and I even perform every weekend. I go to therapy and get help for my anxiety. And I still sing despite it. Just like how you skate._

_I know you probably won't see this.I want you to know that you inspire people like us. Many of your fans have speculated about it and so many of us are in awe of how you go out there and amaze. And when you mess up, you get back out there and keep skating. Please don't quit, even if you mess up a few times. We are with you and we appreciate you. Thank you for inspiring me._

_Aiko <3_

Tears were running down his face as he read the letter. He never thought he would mean that much to anyone. He never knew that people had theories on his anxiety, he had seen people say that he choked when it mattered, but no one had even gotten it that close.

He had to set the letter aside, he wanted to reply later on when he had more time to put his thoughts together. She deserved a good response.

He wiped away his tears and started his day. It was Saturday so he'd have plenty of time to respond.

He went on his run and got breakfast before heading to the dance studio he took classes at. He had branched out into different types of dance since he had gotten to Detroit. Today was hip hop.

He had been composing a response in his mind throughout the entire time. His friends were familiar with his distant mood and let him be.

After dance, he was meeting up with a few people from class for a project. This took a few hours, they got lunch sometime in between.

He went to the rink after that and got in his practice time. He thought back to the choreography he was thinking of last night, it would look good on ice. But he shook off those thoughts, Celestino was working on his programs for this season, he didn't need to mess it up with his ideas.

But he wanted to impress all the fans who were watching him and were inspired by him. Some of the letters he had gotten had mentioned how they had wanted to see him go beyond what he was doing so far, they knew he could do it.

Even though he was skeptical, it wouldn't hurt to try.

He started to write the letter when he got home. It wasn't until last night that he realized how little he had been writing in his native language. He didn't have many reasons to since he got to America. His family preferred to call instead of text.

"What are you writing? You've been staring at that paper for like twenty minutes."

"Oh, just responding to a fan letter. It was nice, I don't know what to write though."

"You get fan mail! Lucky, I'm not there yet. What do they say?"

"They're all very nice, I was surprised that I got any."

"Of course you do, what's it going to take to realize you're amazing?"

Yuuri shrugged, "This girl was telling me about her anxiety and how I inspire her. I never would have thought... I mean I thought people would be disappointed because I fuck up so much but she said it was inspiring how I keep going."

"It is, I don't have anxiety and you inspire me. Especially since I know first hand how bad things can get, I know I wouldn't be able to do what you do."

Yuuri winced, thinking about all the times Phichit had to make sure he took his meds or took proper care of himself. Or even stopped Yuuri from hurting himself.

Phichit was his best friend and he had done so much for him. Phichit had seen him at his weakest and still stuck around. Phichit had told him how strong he thought Yuuri was, he always reassured him and told him how he inspired people. But he never let himself believe it.

For the first time in a long time, he wept happy tears. "I love you so much. I- just thank you."

He didn't have to say what for, Phichit knew.

"Of course, now finish that letter so we can have movie night."

_Dear Aiko,_

_You're pretty accurate, I was diagnosed with anxiety around the same time you were. My ballet teacher was the one who noticed, I've always had some pretty unhealthy ways of coping with it, including overworking (in this case dancing), sometimes until I collapse. I would be so in my head, I didn't notice that I had been dancing for hours. I had panic attacks in front of her before, she pieced it together pretty quickly and brought it up to my parents._

_They were always quite supportive of me getting help. But Japan isn't the best place for that, living in the US, I've been able to get better support. But anxiety never just goes away. It flares up especially at competitions, I avoid everyone including my coach until I have to perform. And this may sound cliche but I feel like I belong on the ice. Skating often wipes away all my doubts and worries, sure I mess up sometimes but I'm always in that moment, I don't let it phase me. Afterward, the memories plague my mind and I cannot watch playbacks of my skating or I'll pick myself apart even more._

_But skating just feels right to me. I was surprised to see I inspire you, but I am grateful that even with my inadequacies you support me. Your story is inspiring to me as well, to hear you were able to overcome your anxiety and continue to pursue music. There have been times where I've been on the verge of quitting, worried I let everyone down when I do badly. Your letter made me cry, I never would have thought people would find my anxiety inspiring._

_My brain tends to tell me I'm weak even though I believe that someone like you is so strong. Though I suppose if there was a skater like me when I was growing up, I would feel the same way. When you get this, please let me know if there is any way I can listen to your music or see you perform. I would love to support you. I'm grateful for all your years of support and I'm sorry that my first performance you saw was when I was fifteen. I hated that one._

_Katsuki Yuuri_


	2. Chapter 2

Over the next couple of days, Yuuri read through the letters and responded. They were all very nice and some came from surprising countries. He never thought he would have fans all over the world.

One person from Thailand found him through Phichit and sent them both a little something. Phichit was ecstatic when he found out. He took of photo with it immediately.

He was kind of sad when he saw he only had one left. It was from Russia! He couldn't believe someone from Russia was writing to him when they literally had Viktor Nikiforov to look up to. Not some dime a dozen figure skater from Japan.

He opened it and started to read the neatly written English.

_Dear Yuuri Katsuki,_

_Your skating is not terrible._

Well, that was one way to start a letter...

_I was watching a competition a few years ago when I saw you. At first, I had started to pay attention because I heard your name. I wanted to make sure the skater who shared my name wasn't some pathetic guy who couldn't skate. I was quickly sucked into your performance, it wasn't perfect, you flubbed a jump. But that didn't matter to me, you were captivating. Your body was making music. And your step sequences! I had never seen any like them before. I fell in love with your skating and you quickly became my favorite._

Huh, the way that started out, Yuuri wasn't expecting to be this guy's favorite skater.

_I come from Russia where Viktor Nikiforov is the be-all and end-all in skating. People think that just because he's won a lot means he is the only skater out there. But Viktor didn't invent skating. Just because he may have innovated the sport a bit doesn't mean that everyone should ignore everyone else. Hell, what you're doing with your step sequences is pretty innovative. I wish I could be even close to your level at that. Maybe one day I'll get to ask you in person just how you do it. I'm a skater, I'm 13, it's the first time I can qualify for the Junior Grand Prix series and I'm confident I will. I hope to compete against you one day. Though two Yuri's will be a bit confusing. Maybe you should retire. But I think you could be doing more difficult routines. You have the skill, so why are you wasting it? I've seen videos on your roommate's social media of you just messing around, skating something that is not your program._

_He says that you just come up with choreography sometimes. I see a whole different side to you in those videos. You always skate so perfectly. I wish I could see you skate like that at competitions, combined with more difficult programs you could win it all. Screw Viktor Nikiforov (I know he's your favorite but if you had to hear about him as much as I do, you may think differently). Plus he's an airhead on non-skating related matters. I'm pretty sure he doesn't understand emotions or people (is that concerning? I'm not sure)._

_Anyways I had to write this even though there is a chance you might not see it. It was hard to find where to send this, so many people have been wanting to send you something but couldn't. And since you’re not active on social media I guess you don't see all the messages. You might appreciate your online fan base. Just block out the haters. I'm going to kick your ass when I get to seniors_

_Yuri_

_P.s. don't you dare retire before I can compete against you_

_P.s I'm not sorry for hating on Viktor_

Yuuri stared at the letter dumbfounded, he wasn't sure what to think of it. He had gone through so many emotions reading it, mainly confusion. He wasn't sure if Yuri liked or hated him. He admired Yuuri's skating and took the time out of his day to write this. But he was also a teenager writing to a potential rival so no wonder he was so angsty.

Though was a 13 year old a teenager? He already had quite the mouth on him.

Even though Yuuri loved Viktor, he could understand the other boy's point. By the way, he spoke, Yuri was likely a good skater, many even an amazing one. He was likely being compared to Viktor every day. People wondering if Yuri would be the next Viktor who would bring honor to Russia.

Yuuri didn't know his exact situation but he could imagine it. And those would be tough shoes to fill. He couldn't blame Yuri for resenting the skater.

But the part about Viktor being an airhead and not being able to understand emotions. Did Yuri know Viktor or did he pick that up from interviews? It was likely the latter, Yuuri never really got that vibe from Viktor. But he also didn't know him.

And it was likely for Yuri to know Viktor personally. If he was 13 and was confident about going into the junior Grand Prix series, he had to be good. It was the first year he could qualify and most 13-year-olds didn't. Yuuri hadn't. It took him two years. He was also in the Junior's division longer than most.

But Russia also happened to raise very talented athletes. And if Yuri was one he likely did know Viktor. The comparisons would be much stronger if they had ever trained together.

He checked the address, it was from Saint Petersburg. His theory was becoming more and more probable.

But he was getting a bit concerned about the implications of that statement. He'd let that sink in later.

Now the parts where he had mentioned that Yuuri could be doing more difficult routines, he wanted to deny it. But a part of him knew it was true.

And he was highkey cursing Phichit out in his mind for posting videos of the times he would mess around with choreography when they were alone. Though he was a little curious about how many people followed Phichit just to see him. He had gotten that many times in these letters. Maybe he could get a social media, just to post little updates...

He was honestly curious about this Yuri. Yuri talked about him in a similar manner to that Yuuri talked about Viktor. He was in awe of him and Viktor was _the goal_. Yuuri still wasn't sure why _he was_. But he wanted Yuri to have an honorable goal. That meant winning as much as he could before Yuri got to seniors.

These past few days opened his eyes so much. He came to realize that he wasn't just a mediocre skater who messes up when it mattered.

He was a decent skater who inspired people, he fell when he got up, he skated despite the demons that plagued his mind, he was someone people could look up to, and he was a goal for some skaters.

He couldn't let them down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why does this fandom have so much angst? Like I watched the show a few years ago but I never really read any fanfic till like a few weeks ago. Now all of a sudden I'm reading all these stories that keep hurting me :(. I mean this one might hurt a bit too... Sorry, Viktor. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think about it so far. Yuri POV next.


	3. Chapter 3

"Yurochka there's a letter for you from America."

Yuri turned off the music he had been blasting. A letter? From America? He frowned in confusion, who would be writing him from America? He didn't know anyone in America- unless...

He rushed out of his bed and headed for his grandfather. He had gotten a response! That must be it.

"Thank you," he muttered as he took the letter, looking at the address it was sent from and he almost squealed.

It was from Detroit.

He had been deep into searching fan blogs about his favorite skater, Katsuki Yuuri over the summer. When one, it wasn't very popular mentioned how they could send fan mail over Yuuri's rink. He did a bit of research and found a post from the official website about P.O. Boxes for the professional athletes. It was posted over a year ago and Yuri decided, 'what could go wrong?' and started to write the letter.

He has to censor himself a bit and not just outright demand Katsuki perform better or let out a string of curses attached to Viktor's name. He thought his eventual eleventh draft of the letter got his point across.

Though he had sent it months ago and was not expecting a response. Maybe he was at least hoping a little, Yuuri was always nice to his fans when he did interact with them. But as the months went by he decided he wasn't getting one. But here it was.

Yuri rushed to his room to read it.

_Dear Yuri,_

_I really appreciate your letter. I see you put the date in the corner and I'm sorry it took me so long to respond. I didn't even know we had mailboxes. I asked Celestino about them and apparently, we got them last year but they never told me. I was even surprised to get fan mail, but I was very happy. Next time I'll respond in a more timely manner._

Next time? Did that mean he wanted Yuri to write back? Yuri bit his lip in anticipation for the rest.

_Thank you for the kind words about my skating, I'm glad that I at least live up to our name a bit. I've definitely been considering what you said about the difficulty and maybe you're right. I think my coach has always wanted me to be at a comfortable level because he thinks I might get overwhelmed. And sure I get anxious but skating is different, I don't know if I'm making sense. We've just started working on my programs so many I can put more input than I usually do. Those videos you've seen from Phichit aren't anything special. I often make up dance choreography and sometimes I want to see it on ice. Some of those videos are just something I came up with a few minutes while others I've spent a long time with on the dance studio. I want to choreograph one day but now is not that day._

Yuri rolled his eyes at that last bit. Yuuri could do it if he wanted to. At least he was actually thinking about skating more difficult routines this season. Maybe Yuri could convince him...

No, he was just a fan. Katsuki was just being nice by replying.

_I forgive you for what you said about Viktor. He's my favorite and his skating captivated me as mine did yours. The first time I saw him on TV I had been skating for a few years but I wasn't planning on doing it professionally. Then my friend Yuuko dragged me to her place to watch Worlds and I saw him. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen, he was 16, still had long hair, but I had never seen anyone like him before. I mainly watched Japanese skating so I didn't know skating could be like this. I was amazed, he's the whole reason I'm skating professionally. I want to compete with him someday. It's okay that you don't like him but at least that's one positive thing you can say about him._

Yuri chuckled, okay so he could give Viktor props for his favorite skater still being a skater but he still didn't like him.

_I can understand why you're frustrated. From my interpretation, you're a great skater, one with the potential to win a lot of gold. People probably compare you from when Viktor was your age. That can be very difficult especially if someone is saying you'll never be as good as him. I can imagine there are people out there looking for the next Viktor and they see it in you. Anyone would be angry to be constantly compared to another person. For all your actions and accomplishments to be held to a standard that to many seems unreachable. You shouldn't be treated like your some second coming, you're you and that's what matters. You should go out there and be the first Yuri (not sure what your last name is)._

Yuri gaped at the paper, Yuuri understood him. Understood how taxing it was to be compared to the great Viktor Nikiforov. He understood and sympathized with him, even though Yuuri was a big fan of Viktor.

_Now what you said about his personality. I can't see how you think that unless you know him personally. And seeing as this is from Saint Petersburg, I'm going to assume you do know him. That might be a little concerning. I've never really thought about it, but he might just be bad at people in general. He's never really mentioned his family and when he gets questions he avoids them. Plus I've never seen anyone from his personal life come to support him at an event. From what I know he's really only friends with Chris (how can you not be friends with Chris, he practically forces you to). He could be lonely._

_I imagine it's hard showing potential and winning so much from a young age. His life could just be skating and that is sad. But it also could explain why you feel like he doesn't understand people. I'm like a hardcore fanboy and I've watched like every video that's ever existed of him on the internet. And I could kind of see it. I've always felt like he's authentic but there's a hint of sadness to him hidden behind a mask. I especially saw it right after he cut his hair and his skating shows it. I don't know, maybe I'm making nothing out of something. Or maybe I'm just looking too hard because I struggle with my own mental health problems. But maybe if you do know him, smile at him every once and a while. Or hug him._

Yuri stopped reading. He had never thought about it like that, but the more he reread, it started to make sense. Viktor didn't have any friends, at least none at the rink. And he was never on his phone either, waiting for a text or scrolling through social media like a normal person. He just came to the rink to skate.

He would stand back and watch other people when it wasn't his turn. He only offered advice when asked. He always ate lunch alone. And he actively avoided the types of people who kissed his ass.

As he thought more about it, he realized that maybe he didn't know as much about Viktor as he thought. Maybe it was lonely at the top.

_But that's enough about Viktor. Please let me know your full name and feel free to send me when you're competing. I'd love to watch you skate. I don't think I have much to offer but I could give you some feedback. I'd like to hear back from you. Good luck with your season, I'm very excited about what you have in store. I guess I'll see you in a couple of years if all goes well. :)_

_Yuuri Katsuki_

_P.s. I don't think I'll be retiring anytime soon ;)_

Yuri set the letter aside, it was a lot longer than he had expected. Well, he didn't know what he had expected. Maybe a short thank you, an angry message, a prewritten response that he sent to everyone.

But no, it was clear that Yuuri had taken the time to read and respond to all parts of his letter. And he had done it genuinely. It was making Yuri an even bigger fan of the man.

He would have to think carefully if his response. Maybe they could even exchange letters and he could get feedback on his performances from Katsuki.

_If only._

He would dwell on that later, he had to get to the rink now. He supposed he could check up on the silver-haired idiot.

He got his skating bag and took off for the rink. He wasn't just going to smile or hug the idiot, that would be out of character. Viktor would probably think he was sick or something.

He was just going to observe. And he did observe, in fact, he got yelled at multiple times for spacing out. Though he was just sneaking glances at Viktor.

He realized that Viktor never smiled, not even when he perfected something. He either had this look of determination on his face while he was skating, or he was just blank. And Viktor really didn't have any friends.

Maybe he was lonely. Maybe he was more than lonely.

Yuri wasn't sure what to do with this information. But when he saw Viktor leaving for the night, he rushed over.

"Hey Viktor, get dinner with me."

Viktor stared at him in shock, his expression was comical. "What?"

"I said get dinner with me."

"But why?"

"Because I'm hungry dumbass."

"And you want to hang out with me?"

"Yes, are you slow? That's what I said."

Viktor continued to stare.

"If you don't want to that's all you had to say." Yuri backtracked, maybe this was a dumb idea, he should go.

"Wait no, that sounds nice."

"Okay but since it took you so long to answer, you're paying."

"Aw Yuri, do you want me just for my money? Wait for me. Where are we going?"

"I know a place nearby."

Viktor followed him to the small restaurant near the rink. He had gone here with his grandfather after practice one day. It was nothing too expensive and had plenty of healthy options.

Yuri had ordered just a salad, he wasn't here for food after all. But Viktor insisted that he was a growing boy who needed more food and ordered more.

Yuri wasn't complaining, he wasn't paying for it.

Viktor, he learned, could actually be good company once you talked to him. Viktor spent time gushing about his dog and other trivial things but also spent a lot of time trying to get to know Yuri. Yuri was surprised that Viktor knew or remembered anything about him. Sure they had been training together for a while but they had never been close.

They didn't talk about skating once and Yuri felt relieved. He didn't need to legend himself to start talking about what he was doing at his age.

After dinner, Viktor insisted on walking him home.

"Thanks for dinner," he paused, considering before wrapping his arms around the older man. It was just for the study okay?

Viktor tensed up, letting out a whimper of surprise before hugging back.

Yuri pulled away, "See you tomorrow." He turned away, walking up the building door. He looked back at Viktor out of the corner of his eyes, he looked so happy. Yuri had never seen him like this before.

Maybe Viktor was lonely.

He didn't know what to do with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for Yuri POV. This is mainly going to be between Yuri and Yuuri, the romance will come later tho. I wasn’t going to write reactions from the other people that got the letters but I saw someone say they wanted to see that so I might do that next chapter. Is that something you want to see? I’ll probably just do a couple. Also I can’t help but writing sad or depressed Viktor. Someone help our bby.


	4. Chapter 4

Sierra was exhausted, she had been working at the bar she worked at until 3 am and then had to get up for her 10 am class. She was working on her M.A. in Psychology as well as working to pay bills. 

She loved Psychology but art was her first love. She had wanted to major in some kind of art back in college, her parents pushed her to do something more 'realistic.'

Art was more of a hobby and a second job. She had started posting her art online a few years ago and gained traction, which led her to open an online shop. She didn't earn enough for it to be her only job, but she was happy to be able to make money from art.

She couldn't wait to collapse in her bed and relax until work.

Sierra stopped by her mailbox on the way to her apartment. She had ordered some supplies that she had been waiting to get.

She tucked her package and the letters under her arm and continued to her place.

She could smell the sugar in her apartment before she even opened the door. She shook her head with a smile on her face, her girlfriend was stress baking again.

"Kayla, I'm home."

She found her girlfriend in the kitchen, she looked like a mess. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun, there was flour all over her clothes, the apron was not protecting her at all.

Kayla grinned, "Well hey there sugar."

Before Sierra could move away, her girlfriend was on her, planting a kiss on her lips. Her mouth tasted like blueberries.

"Pie?" Sierra guessed.

"Yes! My stitch game is on point today. It should be ready in 15 minutes."

"Mmhm," Sierra dusted off the flour that had gotten on her clothes. She put the mail down on the counter before moving to open her package.

She was admiring the new pens she got as Kayla shifted through the mail.

"Anything interesting?"

"Not really. You got a letter from a Yuuri Katsuki from Detroit. Who's that?"

Sierra screamed.

"Uh, who is it. Should I throw it away? Your ex or something?"

"Don't you dare," she grabbed the envelope out of Kayla's hand.

She opened it and started reading.

_Dear Sierra,_

_Thank you so much for the Viktor Nikiforov figurine, you are very talented. I nearly screamed when I saw it._

Well, he was better than Sierra, as she had screamed when she got the letter. But her heart soared when _he_ called her talented.

_They should really make figure skating action figures. I don't know if I should be scared that everyone knows I'm obsessed with Viktor. But I blame Phichit. Though it was very thoughtful, I imagine it must have taken you a while to make. You said that "it wasn't the best," but I disagree. It looks professionally made. The painting on the costume is stunning, it's my favorite from his senior career. And the details are impeccable. Don't discredit your talents (Phichit just looked over my shoulder and called me a hypocrite). He says hi, he appreciates your support of his social media._

Ah, he was so nice. It hadn't taken that long. She was always self-conscious about showing off her work. And it seemed like Yuuri felt the same way about his skating if Phichit called him a hypocrite. She frowned, he was so talented.

_Thank you for supporting my career for so long. I appreciate the compliments. I would like to see more of your art and support you. Please let me know if you have a website or something, I'd love to commission you. Thanks so much for everything._

_Katsuki Yuuri_

"Are you okay Sierra? You look like you're going to explode. Do I need to murder someone?"

"No, I just- he's so nice. He said he wants to support my art."

"Who?"

"You know that Japanese figure skater I love so much?" She waited for Kayla to nod. "Well I sent him some stuff a couple of months ago and he just sent me a letter back."

"Can I read it?"

"Sure," she handed the letter to her girlfriend.

She had grown up a fan of figure skating, she saw it at the Olympics when she was a little girl and was amazed at how people were doing all kinds of jumps and spins on the ice. She would watch the TV guide for any sort of figure skating following the Olympics. She watched a lot of American competitions before finding international ones as well.

As a teenager, she joined a lot of online skating blogs and made some friends. One of her friends was Japanese and introduced her to Yuuri Katsuki his last year in juniors. He wasn't the best skater in some aspects, but something about him was captivating. She knew he would be a star one day.

And his personality got her. A lot of skaters had these big, attention-grabbing personality. Which was cool, but as an introvert, it wasn't very relatable. But then there was this cute, humble, shy guy, who preserved despite his mistakes. It was safe to say she was immediately a fan. And watching him improve over the years was great.

She had even drawn him many times, she wondered if she should send him one.

No, if she was going to do that it had to be perfect.

"Wow, this is nice. I once sent someone a fan letter and got one of those automated responses back. I'm not sure if they even read it. But hey, I think this calls for celebration pie and watching figure skating."

Sierra grinned, "I'll grab my laptop."

Kayla didn't get figure skating, but she enjoyed watching it, especially with Sierra. And Sierra didn't mind explaining how things were scored over and over again when they watched competitions.

Sierra set up the laptop in the living room. Five minutes later, Kayla came back with a tray of pie and tea.

She queued up her favorite routines and they started to watch.

Sierra took her first bite of the freshly baked pie and burst into tears. "Kayla, I've had such a shitty week, and then I got the letter. And this pie is just so good."

She sobbed into her girlfriend's shoulder. "When you open your bakery, I'm going to be so fat."

"I'll love you either way cutie pie."

Sierra rolled her eyes at her girlfriend's baking-related pet names. "I love you."

She mailed her response to the letter the next day. And a few days later, when her online store received two orders from Yuuri Katsuki she screamed again.

He even tipped her, because she, "wasn't charging enough."

...

Aiko's anxiety was through the roof. She had an important performance tomorrow. It was a charity event for her University's music program, she had multiple solo performances. There would be a lot of important people as well. She was freaking out.

She already had a panic attack this morning before rehearsal. She was trying to take it easy today, she had done all her work in advance. She went out on a run to clear her thoughts.

On her way back to her dorm, she stopped by the mailroom, her cousin had said she was sending her something.

She grabbed the package and one envelope? and went up to her room.

Most of her mail got sent to her parents' house, except for important things that she registered her university housing as her address.

Hisashi, her cousin was her best friend and biggest supporter. He was a few years older than her but they always got along. He had always encouraged her and her dreams.

He also introduced her to some of her favorite things. Like figure skating.

She got to her room and set her stuff down. She would open everything later on.

She sat down at her keyboard and began to play. Pouring her negative emotions into music was something that she had always done.

The anticipation of failure was washed away by a beautiful melody.

She concentrated on pushing the right keys, some things were just muscle memory, such as scales or pieces she's played long enough. But she liked to challenge herself and play something that involved a lot of movement.

She practiced for a couple of hours until she got hungry and grabbed some leftovers from the fridge.

Her eyes glanced at where she left the letter, she did a double-take when she saw the letters, ' _Kats-'_

"Oh my gosh," she covered her mouth in shock. It wasn't...

She picked the letter up to read who it was from.

"No, no, no. No way."

She had gotten a letter back from Katsuki Yuuri.

Her immediate thought was to open it. But she stopped, staring at it nervously. _What if it was bad?_

What if she offended him?

She wouldn't be able to handle a negative letter from someone she admired. She thought back to what she wrote.

_Did she overshare?_

_Oh my god,_ she basically diagnosed him. She was probably wrong too.

_He was going to trash her._

_No_ , he wouldn't do that. Katsuki Yuuri was a sweetheart, even if she was wrong, he would be nice, probably let her down slowly.

She was already anxious enough for tomorrow, would reading this make it worse?

She wouldn't read it. Maybe after the performance.

She put it down and continued to eat, but she felt unsettled. If she didn't read it now, she wouldn't be able to sleep.

She opened the envelope and started to skim through the letter. She let out a sigh of relief when the response was positive. She went back to reread slower.

Her heart ached for Yuuri, but she felt comforted by the confirmation that he had anxiety.

She wanted to wrap him up in a hug and tell him he was talented. He was so inspiring for her. She hated anxiety, no one deserved to deal with it.

Tears were running down her face by the end of the letter. He was so inspiring, even if he didn't know it.

And he wanted to listen to her music. Most people, she would believe that they were just being nice and wouldn't actually listen to it, but Yuuri just seemed so genuine.

She would respond tomorrow after she performed and had time to gather her thoughts. But this was giving her the motivation to go out there and kill it.

Even if she messed up, she would shake it off and keep going. Just like him.

...

Chakrii was shocked when he got a letter from Detroit. He had seen the address online a few weeks ago and searched the list for the two skaters he enjoyed.

He ended up sending it to Katsuki's mailbox since Phichit wasn't listed yet. Phichit was his favorite skater- being from Thailand himself- but he enjoyed Yuuri too. He had first found Yuuri through Phichit. Yuuri was inspiring for upcoming Asian skaters, no matter the country. He was doing big things.

Chakrii was just 6 years old when he saw an older boy skating at the community rink, he was astonished by what the boy doing what looked like dancing on ice.

The boy saw him and eagerly waved him over. His name was Phichit, he was 12 years old. Chakrii asked why the boy was dancing on the ice.

Phichit shot him an amused look, "It's called figure skating. Have you ever seen the King and the Skater?"

Chakrii shook his head, he'd never heard of that.

"It's a classic! You should watch it. I want to skate to the music when I'm skating professionally."

"You're amazing. Can I watch you?"

"Sure!"

He watched as Phichit practiced, his coach coming in a while later. The coach offered to teach him how to skate a bit. He went home with a new love.

"Mama, I want to skate." He had said excitedly.

He went back to watch Phichit skate a few times. His parents signed him up for group lessons, he wasn't a natural but he was determined.

He was excited when he saw Phichit skating on television a few months later. He hadn't seen the boy at the rink in a while, but he was even better than before.

He followed Phichit's career intensely over the years and continued to. He hadn't been doing much when he moved to America which led Chakrii to get into Yuuri Katsuki.

He opened the envelopes, surprised when the first one was partly written in Thai and the other was completely in Thai.

Yuuri's was the first one.

_Dear Chakrii,_

_Thanks so much for the letter. I appreciate my fans from Thailand, Phichit always reminds me I have quite a few. Phichit was very excited when we got your letters. He once told me about the little boy who used to watch him skate which was you. He told me about some of the negativity he faced growing up skating and you helped a lot. Some people love to judge figure skaters, especially male ones. But this is an amazing sport. It’s great that you’re skating too, I’ll always be happy to see people choosing to skate. Phichit and I will be on the lookout for your skating. Phichit’s always telling me I need to visit Thailand with him. Maybe one day. We’ll be able to come to see your rink too. I started learning Thai because of Phichit, I speak it better than I write it. It’s a beautiful language. I think I would have learned in by the 100th time Phichit_ _has made me watch The King and the Skater in Thai anyway. Thank you again for all your support. Please keep skating._

_Katsuki Yuuri_

_Dear Chakrii,_

_Omg! Thanks so much for the letter!! This is my first piece of fan mail, Yuuri gets so many. Thank you for supporting him as well. I don’t have many Thai skaters I can look up to, especially now. But Yuuri is one of the best Asian skaters out there and it’s amazing sharing a rink with him. Of course, I remember you, you were super sweet and I always enjoyed seeing you at the rink._

_I’m so glad to hear you started skating because of me. Thailand needs more skaters, I’m sure you’re going to do great things. I’ll be on the lookout. I know it can be rough sometimes, a lot of people told me my dream was pointless. But you kind of just have to block them out and keep going. Skating isn’t popular in Thailand and I want to change that. Hopefully one day we’ll have as many talented skaters as we see in other countries. I hope you continue skating and train hard. Maybe someday we’ll compete against each other. Can you imagine two Thai skaters in a major competition? Haha, and maybe we could perform in a show together. Perhaps in Thailand. One can dream. I bet you’re training under my old coach by now since you’re 13. I wonder if he’s still so grumpy. I need to visit. I hope to see you in Juniors soon!_

_Phichit_

Chakrii’s mind was reeling from the two letters. He felt so encouraged and supported. And Phichit remembered him! The older skater was a big reason why he was inspired to skate in the first place.

Phichit may be the first step to making skating big in their country and Chakrii wanted to train hard to get there as well. Maybe one day he’d met them both in a competition.

Chakrii put the letters away with an itching feeling to go and skate.

...

Hana was one of the co-presidents of the Japanese Katsuki Yuuri fan club. She was a _big_ fan.

She was in the community when it first started, it felt like it was yesterday. She was watching a national junior competition when she saw the 14-year-old Katsuki Yuuri. He was the star of the competition. He was steadily gaining attention in Japan. It was clear he was going to have a bright future.

And he was just so adorable!

He seemed so surprised that he was in first place and was so shy in the post-competition interviews.

Hana searched the internet for more content on him.She joined a few forums that talked about him and made a ton of friends.

Eventually, she and a few others founded the fan club.

She is so proud of Yuuri and how far he has come. He has fans all over the world now. It was amazing how many friends she made around the world because of her online presence.

When she got a letter from him, she screamed for two minutes straight. Only stopping when she realized she had neighbors who could probably hear her.

This was so embarrassing, how was she supposed to leave her house now?

Oh well, she opened the letter and started to read.

_Dear Hana_

She covered her mouth to muffle her screams. He said her name.

_Thank you so much for the support. I have seen some of the work the fan club has done and it's so sweet. Your support means the world to me, I've always wanted to make Japan proud. You guys are super sweet, I don't deserve it all._

How dare he, of course, he deserves it, he’s amazing. She shook her head, oh her fav is so modest.

_Phichit wanted me to let you know he loves the appreciation posts you guys do for him. Yes, he lurks in your fan club... Apparently, there’s no official Thai fan club for me so he has to look at the Japanese one. He keeps threatening to create one. As if he doesn’t post me enough on his social media._

She actually thinks Phichit could post more Yuuri. It was to make up for his lack of social media. They honestly didn’t appreciate Phichit enough.

_You asked when I’m competing in Japan again. I’m not sure the next time I’ll be in Japan yet as the schedules not out. There’s obviously nationals in December. The Southern Regional Championships in October too. There’s always a lot I miss about Japan. The food is a big thing obviously. But my mom’s cooking is always the best._

_Skating is a good hobby and a great way to express yourself. So I’d always encourage people to skate, no matter how old you are. Just cause you can’t do all the big jumps and spins doesn’t mean it won’t be fun. For the facts you wanted to be checked:_

_1\. I started ballet when I was 3_

_2\. My ballet teacher first encouraged me to start skating (Viktor was a big part of me competing but I had already been skating a bit)_

_3\. My favorite food is actually Katusdon (I’m not sure where you heard that from... Phichit?)_

But thank you for the letter and all the support. I’d be happy to meet you sometime when I’m in Japan. It’s crazy that you’ve traveled out of the country to see me but thank you. I’m so grateful for my fan club and everyone is in.

_Katsuki Yuuri_

Hana was sobbing, he was so nice and pure. This was was she loved him. And she could tell he spent time on it, it wasn’t just a thank you note. He took time to address everything she asked and said.

She would support this man forever.

Hana opened her laptop to video chat with one of the other presidents of the Katsuki Yuuri fan club.

“Hana-chan, why are you crying.”

“Katsuki Yuuri is an angle.”

“I know that, did something happen? Is it Phichit’s Instagram again?”

“No,” she shoved the letter at the camera. “Do you remember when I sent him fan mail? He responded and he was so nice.”

She covered her ears as he screamed.

“That was my reaction.”

“Oh my god, I have to send him something. He’s the best, let me see.”

In the end, he was sobbing too. “Katsuki-Kun is an angel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That awkward moment when you fall in love with your OCs. Like I love Sierra and Kayla so much, I want to write more of them. And Aiko, I didn’t write her letter since it was already in the first chapter. But speaking about piano players, have you guys seen this cover of ‘Yuri on Ice.’ It’s SO good!!
> 
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=26I1hs1bg3o
> 
> We’ll be getting back to Yuuri next. And if you see any of these characters in future chapters...(Visting Kayla’s bakery? Yes please). This chapter was way longer than I was anticipating


	5. Chapter 5

Yuuri had sent out all the letters about two weeks ago before he checked the mailbox again. He had gotten some replies, the majority of the ones he wrote didn't warrant replies, as they were just thankful. While others he put a lot more effort into and even asked questions.

He had gotten a response from the musician with anxiety who told him where to find some of her performances. He looked them up and was amazed by the power that was coming from such a small woman.

He was glad she continued singing, it would be a shame to deprive the world of that voice.

He had gotten a response from the woman who did the Viktor figure. She was an artist, Yuuri hoped onto her online store and commissioned a drawing or two.

He got a few other responses and no new ones.

But he had saved one for last, the one from Russia. For some reason, he was eager to see this response. Yuri was an interesting character who he was quite curious about.

_Dear Yuuri,_

_My name is Yuri Plisetsky, I'm a junior skater that trains under Yakov Feltsman in Saint Petersburg. So I do train with Viktor._

Yuuri's eyes widened, Yuri was training with a legendary coach. His rink mate was Viktor Nikiforov. And he looked up to Yuuri?

_I thought about what you said and it kind of makes sense. I've never seen Viktor with friends and he does seem kind of lonely. I've talked to him more than usual the past few days and he's not a complete asshole. He's still an idiot though. And his hair is thinning, don't let the cameras fool you. He's getting old._

Yuuri gasped, not the hair. Cutting the long hair was enough but now it was thinning?

_I'm surprised you understood what I was saying about Viktor. I've been training with Yakov since I was 7, some people haven't gotten it through their thick skulls that I'm not and will never be Viktor. I'm going to beat all his records and be much better than him. Starting with his junior records._

Yuuri stared at the letter, this kid was confident and ambitious. He couldn't imagine speaking like that at his age, let alone now. Confidence was good in skating but it was easy to get a big ego. Yuri was just a child though.

_I'm coming for you too, so you better get on it. If those videos were just you messing around, you spending time on a program could be good. I liked most of your junior programs a lot better, to be honest, they fit you more. What's the secret to your stamina anyway? Is it natural or do you train for that?_

It was true, the programs were challenging at the time but they were made to fit his skills. Minako did that well, she knew him like the back of his hand. She'd be glad to choreograph for him again. She was one of his biggest fans.

_Yakov's trying to convince me to do more ballet, but if I'm scared of anyone, it's his Ex-wife. I trained with her when I was younger and I thought she was going to kill me. I just want to skate. Viktor doesn't do ballet._

If Yuuri was able to train with Lilia Baranovskaya he would die. He had so much respect for her and her dancing. Yuri had to know how lucky he was.

_I'm going to wipe the floor with these juniors so you better watch. You need to know your competition for the future._

_Yuri_

Another interesting letter from Yuri.He shook his head, he wondered what this kid was like in real life.

He opened his laptop and searched Yuri's name on google. A few older Russian articles were talking about Yuri training under world-renowned coach Yakov Feltsman. Some speculation. There were a few shaky videos of some novice competitions.

He paused the first video, it was from a year ago. He felt old, Yuri looked really young. He had long blonde hair and looked pretty short.

The kid was adorable, his personality didn't match his looks despite the small scowl on his face that made Yuuri want to look away.

He watched the video all the way through. The kid was good, he wasn't doing anything too complicated as it was at a novice level but Yuuri could tell that he could do more.

He watched the few other videos there were of Yuri skating. He was sure the kid would be scarily good once he reached seniors. He was certainly better than Yuuri was at that level.

Yuuri hoped there were no videos out there of his novice skating, he'd die out of embarrassment.

Yuuri laid down, something compelled him to put on his old dance playlist that he made a few years back. Songs he heard and thought they would be nice to dance to sometime.

He was an hour into the playlist when it came on. It was perfect.

He imagined the dance he was creating to the music, this was it! He shot his dance instructor a quick text message, she always let him use her studio when it was empty and it was 8 at night.

He got up and threw on some leggings and a top, grabbing his dance bag.

"Phichit I'm going to the studio." He announced.

Phichit looked up from his movie, "you okay?" He looked at Yuuri in worry. Usually, Yuuri only randomly went to the dance studio when he was struggling with something.

"No, I just have something I want to work on." 


	6. Chapter 6

Yuri pulled his hair out of the ponytail he had put it in before practice. He was drinking water, chilling on the bench, cooling down after a rather grueling practice.

He rolled his eyes, Georgi is way too dramatic for his liking. He was always spouting some bullshit about love. He was on to someone new after his last tragic breakup.

Viktor was off at some training for a week. Yuri had been speaking to Viktor more than usual. It honestly wasn't that bad, Viktor was needy and clingy but also attentive and helpful. He had been going out of his way to give Yuri advice and he was a surprisingly good listener.

Yuri still wasn't too sure what to make of him. He didn't seem too sad, he just didn't know how to interact with other people.

He felt strong arms wrap around his shoulders, he yelped, struggling out of the grasp. It was Mila, she had no respect for personal space.

"Let go of me you hag."

"Hey Yura, how was practice?"

"Shitty, like usual."

"Aw, Yura, you shouldn't swear. You're 13."

He glared, "Fuck off."

She sighed, "They grow up so fast. Are you missing Viktor? I noticed you have been hanging around him a lot. It's a bit strange."

"Why is it strange?"

"Well, you're really explosive. And Viktor is well..."

Yuri stared at her expectantly.

"I don't know, I'd like to talk to him but he seems so unapproachable. He's always off in his own world. How do you talk to him?"

"Well I just approached him and he was fine with it. Guess he's not unapproachable." He stood up, "I'm heading out."

He gathered his things and made his way home. There was another letter sitting on his bed. This was his third letter from Yuuri and he was honestly still surprised.

_Dear Yuri,_

_I checked out some videos of you skating_.

He stared at the letter, Katsuki didn't... He grabbed his phone and searched his name up, scrolling through the few videos that were online. Fuck, none of them were good enough for Katsuki to watch, he could do so much better if he was allowed.

_You're very good, probably better than I was back then. I hadn't actually intended to compete when I first started skating. I only realized I wanted to skate competitively when I 12. Can you guess why?_

Viktor, Yuri knew that immediately.

_Anyway. You're very talented, I'm sure you're going to dominate the junior division. Your jumps are amazing, you're probably doing a bit much for your age. I saw you landed a quad sal, at a competition last season. Your coach must have been angry._

Yakov was indeed angry, he yelled at Yuri for weeks. Yuri was 12 when he did that quad. Yakov always told him it was way to early to start learning jumps at that level, but he wanted to be the best skater. He was wasting no time, how else was he supposed to surpass Viktor?

He wasn't allowed to practice quads until seniors but he wasn't going to listen to Yakov.

_I mean it's great that you can do one but you're really young. It puts a lot of pressure on your body, especially at your age. And I imagine you're practicing them without supervision, that's dangerous. I don't want your career to be hurt if you get injured practicing something you shouldn't. Besides, you'll probably be in the senior's division in at least two years. You can wait._

He didn't want to admit it, Yuuri was right. Yakov had been constantly telling him this, he was just way too stubborn to listen. He just wanted to show his skill.

Viktor had promised to choreography his senior debut if he won the junior Grand Prix without any quads. He was going to do it, begrudgingly, but he would do it. That doesn't mean he didn't want to do them.

_I didn't start practicing one until I was much older. Your quad sal was honestly better than mine. I want to work on that this year for my programs. My landing percentage isn't too good. Celestino probably won't let me do it if I'm not completely confident._

Yuri wrinkled his nose, it was clear that Celestino was trying to keep Yuuri in his comfort zone. That wasn't always a good thing. Who knows what he could accomplish if he branched out more. Yuuri's quad toe loop was great when he landed it. His jumps were one of his weakest elements, it likely had to do with his confidence.

_Your spins are also amazing, they're really strong. I can tell you have done ballet (it's an amazing art). Your skating shows a lot of grace._

Yuri was blushing.

_My stamina has kind of always been a thing. But I also do a whole lot. I run every day, at least 5 miles. I dance in the morning and the evenings. Plus skating practice. I also go to the gym sometimes. I take a variety of dance classes throughout the week. I sometimes dance for hours in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. Phichit says I'm not normal._

Yuri agreed with Phichit. That was way too much, and Yuuri went to college. It was insane. Yuri couldn't do all that. He wondered what Yuuri's skating practice looked like. He was very curious.

_I can't believe you have the opportunity to train with madam Baranovskaya, I would love to. She's amazing. You should jump at the opportunity to train with her. A lot of the things you admire about my skating come from ballet training._

_My ballet teacher was the one who choreographed my junior programs. I owe a lot of my success to her. And honestly, she was one of the reasons I started out skating in the first place. She had suggested it because she's a big skating fan. I miss her studio a lot, I always felt at home there. She's honestly my biggest supporter._

_But ballet is always good to practice. How much experience do you have with it?_

Was Yuri considering doing ballet now? Maybe, ballet was good enough for Katsuki and it obviously did him well. But he honestly didn't want to deal with Lila.

_I look forward to following your season especially since I've seen your skating now. Honestly, I was surprised by what you looked like, you're so cute but have such a strong personality. I feel like someone should put cat ears on you._

_Yuuri_

Yuri's whole body went red. Yuuri Katsuki called him cute. He normally would yell at anyone who did that but this was Katsuki.

Yuri noticed how Katsuki went from putting his full name to just Yuuri. It honestly didn't mean much but it felt more intimate. Were they friends? Pen pals?

This was his third letter so far. Should he write back?

He wanted to talk with Katsuki more and he didn't seem to mind. Maybe this would turn into something more.

He pulled out another piece of paper and started to write.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops another chapter today. I just wanted to post this cause why not?


	7. Chapter 7

"Good morning Yuuri." Marie- the old lady who owned the ballet studio Yuuri had been going to since he came to America- smiled at him as he entered.

He danced at college as well, but he liked this place better. It reminded him of Minako's studio in Japan. It was small and private. The students were mainly young and Yuuri adored them. He helped out with classes sometimes.

"Good morning." He smiled softly, he was still waking up. It was six in the morning. Marie lives in the apartment upstairs, so she was always around when he came by.

"You've been coming here a lot more than usual. Are you working on something special?"

"Ah, I've been working out this routine. I think I might turn it into a skating routine."

"Well, I can't wait to see it. Is it going well?"

"It's coming together. But I feel like it's missing something."

She gave him a knowing look, "Well you are a perfectionist dear. I haven't seen anyone train as hard and as long as you. I'm sure it's great."

"Ah, thank you."

"You can go right ahead, my first class isn't till ten."

He went through to the studio and started to warm up.

He finished warming up and put on some music. Dancing was so natural to him, he'd be doing it since he was three. When he danced, he felt like he was floating.

He spent the next two hours refining the routine he had been working on.

Yuuri grabbed his laptop out of his bag and set it up somewhere where his full body would be seen on camera. He hit record, turned on the music, and started to dance.

He watched back what he recorded, _not good enough._

The next thing he knew, an hour went by and he still didn't have a good recording. He kept telling himself " _one more time,_ " but it never really was one more time. He had over ten videos that he had rejected. He only had an hour left here, he needed to get this perfect.

After three more attempts, he was frustrated. He was getting through the routine but it wasn't as flawless. He had recorded one then watched it back and critiqued it mercilessly before repeating the process.

Any mistake was a big deal to him, even the small ones. Every moment he was sloppy or offbeat for even a second ate away at him.

"One more time," Yuuri promised himself, he launched into the routine. He kept all his criticism in his head, correcting all his mistakes before they would occur.

He was out of breath when he finished. He sat down on the ground to watch the video. He had to watch it three times before he decided he was satisfied. He didn't have much time left anyway.

He gathered his things, said bye to Marie, and went back to his apartment for a quick shower before class.

...

"Yuuri, you coming?" Phichit called out, they were done with practice but Yuuri was still on the ice while Phichit was ready to go.

"Go ahead. I'm going to stay back for a little bit."

"Alright, don't stay too late."

Yuuri wasn't going to promise anything. He did have extra rink time privileges, Celestino knew it calmed him down and gave him a key to stay late or come in early.

He wanted to see how his routine translates to the ice before he decided anything.

He stayed for another hour then went home. He had a late dinner with Phichit and they watched a movie.

Yuuri wasn't paying attention to what was on screen. He was lost in thought. What if he wasn't good enough?

"Yuuri," he heard Phichit calling his name a few times. “Yuuri, hello?”

"Huh?"

"I said, I'm thinking about getting another hamster. What do you think?"

"Another one? You just got your third like a month ago."

"I can never have too many hamsters."

"Go ahead, your hamsters are your business. Not mine.”

"Yes, it does! We're basically co-parenting. You even helped me smuggle Arthur in when we lived in the dorm. And I know you give them treats when I'm not looking. You spoil them."

Yuuri looked outraged. What was Phichit saying? “They deserve to be spoiled,” he said defensibly.

“Exactly. They're the best, aren't they?”

"Vicchan's the best." He sighed, "I miss Vicchan." His mind wandered back to his dog that he left back in Hasetsu.

Phichit gasped, "Blasphemy. He can be the best dog but my hamsters are better."

Yuuri snorted, "You wish. You haven't even met Vicchan."

"You should bring him. Now that we're in a place that allows pets."

"Maybe." It was a good idea, Vicchan was technically his dog, he got him based on the conditions that he would take care of him. He had kind of just dumped him on his family when he left. It was necessary when he lived in a dorm but he could bring him over now.

He kept using the excuse that he couldn't go home, but if he tried he could make it happen. Maybe he would visit when he was in Japan sometime. All those letters from Japan were making him miss home even more than he usually did.

They finished watching the movie and went to their respective rooms. Yuuri did the little homework he still had.

Once he was done he pulled up skype and searched for the contact, he clicked video chat and waited.

"Why are you calling me? Isn't it after midnight over there?"

"Yes, do you really expect me to be sleeping?" She should know better, she knew all about his sleeping problems.

"You're right.”

"Minako sensei, how are you doing."

She sighed, "I'm bored out of my mind. You need to come back, I miss my student."

"The studio is still slow?” He frowned, she had been having trouble getting new students for years.

"Yes, no one wants to learn ballet anymore. What a shame, the bar gets more action. Are you still keeping up with your training?"

"Of course."

She accessed him, “Fix your posture."

He immediately sat up straighter, but pouted, “I'm in bed."

She stared back, unimpressed.

"How's everything coming along at the rink. You should be working on your short program, correct?"

"That's actually why I called you. I'm thinking about changing it, I choreographed this routine that I wanted your input on. And I was hoping you would help me with my free."

"You don't want Celestino to do it? I thought you were happy with him." She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, he's a great coach but I don't think what he has me doing fits my style. You get me more. Of course, I'm going to let him adjust it, but I want to do something different."

"Hm, I agree. You have a lot of strengths that he doesn't know to touch on." She had critiqued his programs before but she wasn't his coach anymore.

"I have a video of what I was thinking for my short program. I need some feedback."

"Send me it."

Yuuri tried to gauge her reaction as she watched the video but she kept a straight face. His heart was beating fast, he wanted her reaction already.

The music came to a stop, he awaited what she was going to say. _What was taking her so long?_

“It's beautiful,” he internally sighed in relief.

“I do have some suggestions. I need to work it out in the studio. Why don't you go to bed and call me in the morning? You wake up freakishly early, it'll be nighttime here."

He agreed, they wrapped up the call. He had no idea how he was going to bed now, he was way too anxious.

He tossed and turned for a bit before he drifted off to sleep.

Yuuri woke up to a text from Minako, it was a video of her performing his routine with subtle changes. It was better, more polished.

He called her from the dance studio and they worked together until she had to go to bed. He was feeling a lot better with her help, she was going to help him develop his free program when he started to work on it.

When he got to the rink, he waited to go out to the ice.

"Yuuri, why aren't you warming up?"

"I was actually hoping to talk to you about my program."

"Oh," Celestino looked very surprised. "What's up?"

"I know we already started working on my short program but I want to change it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was lowkey gonna post this yesterday but forgot lol. I also accidentally wrote the next chapter before this one and then realized it was supposed to be the other way around. Anyone want the next chapter today haha? Anyway I gotta get to it next zoom class. Lmk what you think.


	8. Chapter 8

Yuuri stopped by his mailbox again after practice, he learned to check it every couple of days. He even got acquainted with Sarah, the lady who first gave him the keys. He learned she was always grumpy.

There was one thing inside, it was a manila envelope from Japan. He opened it when he got home, it was a stack of papers. The first page looked to be a letter, he started reading.

_Dear Katsuki-Kun,_

_You are my idol! Ah, I just love your skating so much, you're so perfect. My friend Hana called me crying when you sent your response. I'll admit I was worried for a second but then I started screaming when she explained it. I'm a co-founder of your Japanese fan club as well, that's how we meet._

Ah, another president of his fan club. He wasn't going to act like he wasn't the co-president of the Japanese Viktor Nikiforov fan club when he was a teenager. He didn't have much time now, but his secret accounts were still active in the community.

_My name is Minami Kenjirou, I'm a junior skater from Japan. You probably haven't heard of me._

He had heard of Minami and seen a few performances. A lot of people in Japan were optimistic about his future. The kid had a lot of energy.

_I probably have a lot of work to do before you recognize me. But I look forward to meeting you in a competition one day. I can't wait to cheer you on at close. I get a little bit too excited, I think my coach has given up on stopping my tangents about you._

Yuuri chuckled, that sounded like him with Viktor. Everyone gives up eventually, his love for Viktor was extreme. They couldn't do anything about it. He knew a lot of younger Japanese skaters looked up to him but it still made him flustered.

_What would you say if I were to do a program inspired by your Lohengrin program from back in the day? I've wanted to for years. It's one of my favorites._

Yurri wanted to gag, that program was from his dark past. How could anyone enjoy it? Let alone do a program based on it. He couldn't stop Minami, he'd just be put off from afar.

_I made my coach promise I could do it for my senior debut, two more years! I hope you see it, that would mean the world to me! I'm even going to get a similar costume. Speaking about that program, I shipped my 8x10 photo I had printed out of you. Could you please sign it? I want to frame it and put it somewhere in my room. I have an impressive merch collection._

He was about to judge but then looked around his bedroom to see a bunch of Viktor posters staring back at him. Who was he to judge? Just because some people had terrible taste in favorite skaters didn't mean he could judge. Yuri would say he had a terrible taste with Viktor as his favorite skater.

_All your fans love and appreciate you. Your skating brightens our days and inspires us. You're way too modest. You're perfect, nobody can tell me otherwise, don't forget it._

_Minami xx_

Well, that was way too nice, Minami's energy came out even through a letter. Yuuri placed the first page aside and looked at the next, he stared at the paper incredulously, it read:

_10 things I love about Katsuki Yuuri's skating in no particular order (I have more than 10 but I had to limit it down)_

_1\. His step sequences (they're just so perfect, everyone is jealous of them, how do you do it? I bet Viktor wishes he could do such complicated step sequences)_

Yuuri shook his head, that wasn't even true. They weren't even that hard.

_2\. His spins (I could watch you do them for hours, they're just... wow)_

_3\. His musicality (UNMATCHED)_

_4\. His triple axel (Do I have to say anything? It's always perfect, I've never seen a bad one from you)_

_5\. His gracefulness (It's the ballet isn't it? If you had become a danseur I think I still would have loved you. Phichit has posted dancing videos of you, you're amazing and it transfers to the ice)_

Yuuri wanted to strangle Phichit again, almost every letter he got mentioned Phichit's social media.

_6\. His emotions (How can anyone not feel anything when you skate?)_

_7\. His stamina (Like how?! I don't understand it. One time at national someone was saying how you'd been at the rink since 5 am, it was noon? Do you not get tried?)_

_8\. His persistence (You always get up when you fall and never quit, it's so inspiring)_

_9\. His energy (you feel like a totally different person when you get on the ice)_

_10\. His presentation_

By the end of the list, he was blushing furiously. Did he think all that? This kid was too much. He flipped through the rest, they were analyses of some of his programs, all of it was positive, and the photo he wanted to be signed.

He had seen Minami before and it was obvious he was a fan but he didn't know it was at this level. Honestly, he would have done something similar to Viktor when he was a teenager if given the chance.

He was flattered, put off but flattered. It was all very nice, she skimmed through the rest of it. He didn't agree with a lot of it, he wasn't anywhere near perfect. He could admit there were some good things about his skating. A lot of people have been reminding him lately.

He stared at the picture, he hated his Lohengrin program and wanted to bury that memory far away. He found a sharpie on his desk and signed, it writing a quick note. He honestly needed to process all of this before he wrote a letter back.

...

Minami has gotten home from training when he saw it, a letter from Katsuki Yuuri! He had known Yuuri had sent other people responses but he honestly wasn't prepared for a response. He poured his heart out into that letter, he wanted Yuuri to know just how much he meant to him.

He ran upstairs with the letter, opening it the second he sat down. On top was the picture he had sent, he grinned wider when he saw it was signed.

Minami-Kun, please keep skating, you're the future of Japanese skating. We'll be skating against each other soon.

He squealed, Yuuri had called him the future. This was enough for him, he didn't need to see anymore. Honestly, he thinks he might combust if there was more.

_Dear Minami,_

"Oh my gosh, he keeps saying my name. This is the best day of my life."

_I have heard of you before, you're actually pretty popular in Japan. I've seen some videos of your skating. You're very energetic and keep the crowd engaged. I could see you were inspired by me. I hate my Lohengrin program with a burning passion, it's from my dark past._

He gasped, wanting to defend it. The next time he saw Yuuri he would give him a piece of his mind.

_I can't stop you from skating what you want. You should skate something you enjoy. I think that costume is shoved somewhere in my closet. I don't know if you're the same size I was but if you want it I could get my sister to dig it out for you. You can alter it if you want._

"No way..." he squealed, Yuuri offered his costume to him. He could wear the same costume as a Katsuki Yuuri, there was no way he would turn it down. This was definitely the best day of his life.

_I'm not sure why I even did that program, I blame Minako sensei. But I guess we all like what we like. I have this one Viktor Nikiforov program that I really like but it's surprisingly disliked by a lot of people. I will defend it religiously._

Minami felt the same way about anything Yuuri did.

_I remember Hana's letter, she was very sweet as well. How many co-presidents are there? Ah, I really appreciate all of you, the support is appreciated. I'm always thinking about my Japanese fans, I want to make them proud. I miss Japan, the U.S. is great but I haven't been to my hometown in a few years. And I'm only in Japan for competitions._

_You're way too nice about my skating. Those were some very detailed commentary, do you do that for my every performance?_

Yes, yes he did. He would watch first to appreciate the awesomeness then he would watch it a few more times to appreciate every detail and write it all down. He always had a Skype watch party with Hana and some of the other fan club presidents so they could freak out together. They've been planning an in-person meeting sometime, maybe they could go watch nationals together. The entire fan club was so large, he was mainly just friends with the people he founded it with. They were all very supportive of his skating as well.

Everything you said was, ah-. I don't know what to say about all of it. I get embarrassed when people compliment my skating, I don't know if I deserve it all but thank you.

Of course, he deserved it!

_I signed the photo you sent me. Maybe you could sign something for me? I hope your season goes well and I look forward to seeing you in the future._

_Katsuki Yuuri_

Oh, he was crying. Minami needed to frame this. He couldn't believe Yuuri was so nice. He needed to write back. And Yuuri wanted his autograph!! He needed a plan. Maybe he should send Yuuri some things from Japan.

"Hana!" Minami screamed when she answered the call.

"Katsuki-Kun got you too?"

"Yess, I can't believe this." He hugged the stuffed Yuuri to his chest, "You need to help me."

She laughed, "Send me pictures, I want to see."

They would come up with the perfect response together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s that second chapter. I love Minami, he's so cute and I love how he's a Yuuri stan. Back to the Yu(u)ri’s next.


	9. Chapter 9

“Ah, can I try it one more time?” Yuuri asked, picking himself up from the ground.

Celestino sighed, “I think that’s enough for today.”

“Just once more?” He found himself asking. He didn't want to leave practice without this.

“Fine, but last time and I mean it.”

Yuuri skated off, using his momentum to launch into the jump he had been spending so much time practicing lately. Ah, it felt good to be in the air.

He felt himself land steadily on the ice. He had fallen twice and touched down on the other attempts today. He honestly wasn’t expecting to land it today.

“Yuuri, that was perfect.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, everything was perfect this time. You just need to do that consistently and we can add it to your program.”

Celestino had liked the program Yuuri choreographed, though he was very surprised when Yuuri approached him about it.

“ _It’s good,” he had said once Yuuri had shown him. But he paused, staring ahead, deep in thought. “It suits you, you’re good at choreography.”_

_Yuuri could sense the, ‘but,’ coming._

_“But are you sure about the difficulty? It's higher than your program last year. I'm worried about your nerves.”_

_“I know, it’ll be hard, but I can do it. I have to keep up with the other skaters, I can't let my anxiety hold me back if I ever want to get to a higher level.I'll just be stuck if I don’t. I have a lot to prove.”_

_He had expected rejection but his coach grinned, “Well then, let’s get started. We have a long way to go. This season will be interesting for you, huh?”_

_“It will.”_

Yuuri got home and took a hot shower, soothing his aching body a bit. Times like these made him miss the hot springs. He had gotten quite a few bruises over the past few weeks and had been training extra hard. He wanted to make it to the GPF this year and he wasn’t going to do it, training like he usually did. Skaters who made it to the final were a whole different beast.

His mind flashed to Viktor, perhaps he would meet him this year. But he wasn't quite sure about that. He did hope to meet Yuri, the Junior Grand Prix Final was at the same time so if they both made it, they could meet up. He was getting more fond of the younger boy each letter he got. The latest one was sitting on his desk.

_Dear Yuuri,_

_My grandfather is going to be moving back to Moscow full time in a few weeks. He had been going back and forth when I first came from training and I was staying with Yakov when he was gone. But it's not very ideal anymore and his hospital is back in Moscow (he has some health issues). I want him to stay but I can't really ask that of him. I feel like my grandfather is the only one who actually gets me, now I'm stuck living with Yakov until I'm old enough for my own place. I don't know why I'm telling you all this, I guess I don't really have anyone to talk to. And I don't want my grandfather to feel bad for leaving me._

He felt honored that Yuri felt comfortable enough to tell him this information. But a bit sad he had no one else to talk to about this, being a serious child athlete was difficult. Yuuri knew his childhood was more relaxed than other professional skaters at a high level. He went to an actual school, he had friends, he only trained with an actual skating coach on weekends where he could take a train to Fukuoka. On the norm, he trained with a ballet teacher.

He imagined Yuri who moved hours away as a child to train with a better coach, lived a much different life.

He had said Viktor was awkward and didn't know how to interact with people. He imagined Yuri wasn't much better.

...

_Dear Yuuri,_

_Next time you send me a letter please use the address above. My grandfather is leaving tomorrow. I roped Viktor into helping me move since he has nothing better to do and he has a car. I gave him pirozhki, which is my favorite food, you should try it. But only get it authentic. I mostly stood there and let Viktor struggle with the heavy objects. I'm a child, I shouldn't have to. Viktor is still an idiot, but a useful one._

Yuuri was amused reading the rest of the letter. Yuri talked more about Russian and how his training was going. He put it aside to respond later, he and Phichit had to get to the airport.

"Yuuri!" Yuuri found himself crushed in a big hug, struggling to breathe. When he was finally released he gasped for air.

"Don't be so dramatic," Minako hit him on the back hard.

"Are you trying to kill me?"

She rolled her eyes, "let me have a look at you." Yuuri straightened up as she examined him, she pulled his shirt up as if they weren't in public. It felt like her eyes were on him for hours before she was finally satisfied. "Good, I thought America would ruin your figure."

"And you must be Phichit."

Phichit lowered his phone camera and smiled wide. "Yes, that's me, nice to meet you." He bowed slightly.

"Don't be so formal. So are you two going to show me to your apartment?"

Yuuri picked up her bags for her and brought them to the car. She packed a lot for just a couple of weeks. When Yuuri asked for her help with his program this year, she took it as an invitation to come in person. He wasn't complaining.

She wasn't doing much as she had no students at the ballet studio and had gotten someone to manage her bar.

When they got back to the apartment Minako put her bags in Yuuri's room, she was staying there.

Minako asked, "Where he was hiding all the Viktor Nikiforov posters."

He temporarily took most of his Viktor posters down so she wouldn't have to stare at them all night long.

He made dinner for the three of them, Phichit chatted happily to Minako, she easily gave up stories about Yuuri's childhood much to his annoyance.

She even had pictures on her phone of teenage Yuuri. He would have slumped down in his seat and hid his face but she would reprimand him about his posture.

Minako was family in all but blood. He couldn't believe his family would betray him like this. Phichit was now armed with a plethora of embarrassing photos.

"Oh, Yuuri, I brought that costume you asked for. Why do you want it? I thought you hated that program. It was hidden under all the rest of your costumes."

"I do hate it, that program should be forgotten." He shivered, "I think I might give it to someone though."

"It wasn't that bad."

"It was, how could you let me do that?”

She rolled her eyes, "Who are you giving it to?"

"Do you know Minami Kenjirou?”

"The cutest skater in Japan?"

Yuuri gasped, "He's what?"

"Don't be upset, you're number two."

"I'm not upset," he mumbled under his breath, he clearly was.

"How do you know him?"

"Uh-" Yuuri combed through his mind for an excuse that wouldn't result in teasing.

"He gets fan mail," Phichit offered before Yuuri could lie. "He gets a ton, it's so cute. He writes back and everything."

"Yuuri, that's so adorable! I told you that you have fans." She nudged him.

"Whatever," he became very interested in the food on the table, he stared down at his bowl. He couldn't deny it anymore, the proof was there. He was learning exactly how much he meant to some people.

"Did you choose the song for your free program yet?" Minako asked after dinner. They had compiled a few songs that matched his theme. Yuuri had been in between three.

"I think so," he turned on the one that he had been listening to on repeat for the past few days. It embodied everything he wanted to do this season.

"This was the one I was hoping you'd choose."

The next day he brought Minako to Marie's studio. Marie was very excited to meet her, Minako was a well-respected ballerina. She agreed to guest teach while she was in Detriot. She was eager to actually teach students again.

They didn't work on his program today. Minato wanted to see how well he was keeping up with his ballet. By the time they were done, Yuuri wanted to collapse.

She had mercilessly criticized him at practice that day. Finding every flaw in his short program technique-wise.

The next day, Minako dragged Phichit to the studio with them. She had watched him too and decided he would benefit from some ballet training.

Yuuri wasn't sure if Phichit had come to dance or take pictures. But he was used to Phichit’s social media antics.

Together they took Yuuri's partially developed idea and created his free program. Minako's presence was comforting, he always doubted what he could do. But she wouldn't let him second guess himself, she believed in what he could do even if he didn't.

Having that person there, pushing him to try all his ideas enabled him to create a challenging program without feeling bad.

He had gone into the smaller studio to record the final product for reference, when he went back into the other room. Phichit was on the floor while Minako was staring at him with an unimpressed expression.

“Yuuri your teacher is evil,” Phichit whined from the floor.

“You're just weak,” Yuuri and Minako said in unison.

“You didn't even do much today. I guess I'll have to whip you into shape while I'm here.” Minako aggressively patted his shoulder.

“Yuuri help.” He pouted.

He shrugged, “You’ll get used to it. Ballet is good for you. You can even post some videos about it.”

Phichit suddenly sat up, as if the mention of social media gave him the strength that he was lacking. Yuuri shook his head, what was he going to do with that boy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minako’s here! Idk why but I really like her character. The letters in this chapter are just parts of the full ones. Back to Yuri next, lmk what you think! 
> 
> I keep getting this YOI fic ideas that I keep thinking about and eventually have to write them down for later. I have way too many! 
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://heyitsline1.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I never really understood Tumblr but I'm actually using it now.


	10. Chapter 10

_@Phichit+chu Yuuri's working hard on something. Cameo from Ciao Ciao #katsukiyuuri #whatyaworkingon #doingbig things_

Yuri stared at the picture of Yuuri Katsuki mid-skate, even in a picture he looked graceful, he had a determined look on his face, his coach was standing to the side with his arms crossed, looking quite satisfied. Yuri wondered what they were working on, likely his program for this season. Excitement bloomed in his chest, he couldn't wait to see it, even if he wished Yuuri had a different choreographer.

He heard a knock at his door, looking up from his phone to see his grandfather enter the room with a solemn look on his face.

"Yurochka can we talk?"

"Uh- yeah." He nervously put his phone away, what was this about?

"I talked to Yakov-"

_Oh shit_ , what did he do? He retraced anything he might have done wrong in the past week. He couldn't think of anything particularly bad. He hadn't done a quad in practice since Viktor promised him that program and he stopped sneaking them when he was alone after what Yuuri said. He hadn't said anything too rude, but Yakov was used to his personality by now anyway. He couldn't think of anything. Maybe Yakov wanted to stop coaching him.

But that didn't make much sense, Yakov didn't value skaters for their personalities, he valued them for their ability. And Yuri had a bright future.

"We've talked about me moving back to Moscow full time and I think it's time."

Oh, _oh_. That was much worse than being in trouble with the old geezer.

"Okay," he swallowed, not wanting to show he was upset, that would be selfish. His grandfather did so much for him, he should be grateful he even stayed this long. Yuri knew that traveling back and forth took a toll on him. But he did it so for Yuri.

"I need to be closer to my doctor and I don't think I'll be healthy enough to keep coming back."

"Are you okay?" He pressed, wanting to know if this was anything serious.

"It's nothing concerning, you don't need to worry about me. You can come to visit sometime and I'll be at all your local competitions."

"I understand, I just want you to be healthy."

His grandfather smiled softly, "I'll be okay. You'll be moving in with Yakov for now, he said he has room for you."

"Alright." He wasn't happy with that but what could he do? He was 13, it wasn't like he could get his own place. "When are you leaving?"

"I'll start packing now but I'll leave when you're settled. Yakov said he'll be ready for you next week."

"Great." He forced a smile.

"Let's spend a lot of time together before I leave."

"Can we make pirozhki tonight?"

"Of course."

Yuri forced another smile, it dropped immediately when his grandfather left the room. He winced when he realized how tightly he had been clenching his fists. He sighed and laid back down, he was fine. There was nothing to be upset about. _He wasn't going to cry._

He was used to being on his own, his grandfather had been the only person in his life with who he had a genuine bond with for years. And it wasn't like he hadn't had to leave Yuri alone for long periods with his declining health. Yuri was independent, more so than most people his age.

But yet, his eyes stung with tears that he tried to hold at bay.

...

He tried to come to terms with his grandfather leaving over the next few days. He knew it was coming but it was unexpected. He was sure there was something he wasn't telling him about his health.

He had no one he felt comfortable confiding in about his true feelings about the move. He didn't want to worry his grandfather, he didn't need that. And he didn't have any friends. So naturally, he spoke about it in his last letter to Yuuri. They had been sending letters back and forth for about two months now and he felt more comfortable with the man than any other skater. Maybe it was because he was writing to the man and not speaking.

He felt a bit better reading Yuuri's response.

_Dear Yuri,_

_I hope your grandfather is doing okay. Are the issues urgent or is this just a normal thing? Either way, it's good he's closer but it's unfortunate you don't get to be together. Good thing for technology. I'm sure you can visit when you have time. I checked google and the train ride is like three and a half hours away. It wouldn't be too bad even for a day visit. It gets easier as time goes on, I was a mess when I first moved to America. Same with Phichit and he's the most positive person I know..._

He read the rest of the letter with a smile, Yuuri's letters always managed to bring a smile to his face. He didn't have time to reply since he had to get to the rink. He scrolled through his notifications and saw that Phichit posted a new picture of Yuuri.

_@Phichit+chu: look who's visiting!! @minako-okukawa #showmeyuurisbabypictures #yuuriballetstories #katsukiyuuri_

Huh, that was interesting. It was a picture of Yuuri's ballet teacher hugging him tightly in the airport. He chuckles, it didn't look like Yuuri had any room to breathe. It was a bit funny as they had just been talking about her in their letters a few weeks ago. He didn't think much of it, slipping his phone into his pocket and heading to the rink.

He marched over to Viktor who was standing by the rink on his phone.

"Oi, Viktor."

Viktor looked up at him, looking shocked that someone was talking to him. "Yes?"

"What are you doing Sunday?"

"Uh-"

"Great! You’re helping me move.

"You're moving?" He slipped his phone into his pocket and paid more attention.

"I'm moving in Yakov." Yuri scowled, he still hadn't come to terms with it. It wasn't like he had any other options.

"Ah, good times." He looked as if he was reflecting on old memories.

"You've lived with him?"

"I moved in with him when I was eight, lived with him for about ten years.”

That was young, he could imagine that would be even harder. Yuri wanted to ask about his family but again, they weren't that close. "How was that?"

"It was fine, I have some fond memories especially when I first moved in. Lilia was still there. I was a bit of a drama queen when I was a teenager but he respected my privacy. You'll be fine."

“Cool, so you're picking me up Sunday?”

“Why do you want me to help.”

“Because you’re the only free adult with a car I can think of. Besides, it's not like you have a social life.”

All he did was skate and hang out with his dog. He most certainly wasn't going to ask Yakov to help. Or Georgi who would just rant about his love life the entire time.

“That's not true.”

Yuri shot him an unimpressed look.

“I have Makka and Chris!”

“Chris lives in Switzerland and Makkachin is your dog. You should get out of your house more.”

He was really doing Viktor a favor here.

"I don't have that much. You can come pick me up Sunday."

"Yuri-"

"I'll bring you food or something. You know where I live."

"Yuri-"

"I'm going to skate now.”

"Guess I'll see you Sunday," Viktor called after him.

...

_Dear Yuri,_

_I'm glad Viktor is helping you move. Phichit made me do all the work when we moved to our new apartment. He was sitting on the boxes taking selfies. I chucked a shoe at him. I'd love to try Pirozhki, maybe if I come to Russia in the future-_

"What are you reading?" Yuri jumped at the voice, rushing to shove the letter in his pocket. He turned around to glare at Viktor.

"When did you get here?" He refused to answer the questions, he could feel his cheeks heat up. Under no circumstances would he allow Viktor to find out about the letter

"Just now, your grandfather let me in." Viktor was standing by the door awkwardly, he had a set of keys in his hand. "Have you finish packing?"

Yuri stood from the couch, "Yup, my stuff is all here." He gestured to the boxes and bags that looked out of place in the now bare living room.

They got to work- and by they, it meant Viktor did most of the heavy lifting while Yuri ate leftover Pirozhkis.

"You know that you can help too?" Viktor had asked after coming back from his second trip from the car.

Yuri shrugged, "Those are heavy, don't want me to hurt my back, do you? Since you're so worried about me harming my body," the quad incident came to mind.

"I did take one box earlier." He failed to mention it was the smallest one.

"You're always calling me old, shouldn't you be worried about my back?" His voice was dripping with amusement. Yuri hadn't expected him to be such a good sport about this, considering he had practically forced hum into helping. But he picked up the remaining boxes with little complaints.

Yuri sat in the passenger's seat as they drove off to Yakov's place. He scrolled through his notifications, excited when he saw Phichit posted and it was another photo of Yuuri.

_@Phichit+chu doing ballet with @minako-okukawa and #katsukiyuuri #secretproject #neverdoingballetwiththemagain #ballerinakatsuki #ballet_

His mind wandered to Yuuri's suggestion that he do ballet again. He had been thinking about it but had yet to be completely convinced. But Yuuri did ballet and he saw the value in it.

But what was with that second hashtag? '# _secretproject_?' He was itching to know what that meant. He had thought that she went to America for a vacation but could it not be that simple? Maybe she was helping Yuuri out for the season. That would be exciting, considering she has choreographed his favorite programs from the skater. He couldn't wait to find out.

Yuri was pleased that Viktor allowed him to pick the music. He made the mistake of asking about Viktor's dog, the next thing he knew, Viktor spent the rest of the ride chatting excitingly about the 'cutest thing' Makkachin did this morning. He had learned that this was one of his favorite subjects to talk about over the past few weeks. He was more of a cat person himself, but it was nice to see the man excited about something other than skating.

Once they dropped off his belongings they drove back to his grandfather's apartment. He would unpack once he moved in for real.

His grandfather invited Viktor over for dinner, he was pleased that Yuri had been interacting with another person so much. For some reason, he thought Viktor was a good influence. A much as Yuri liked to remind him that they were not friends, his grandfather was pleased that he was not leaving Yuri completely alone.

He had also found out about the letters to Katsuki and was delighted. He knew how much of a fan Yuri was. He had bought Yuri his first poster of the man.

Dinner was nice, Viktor could be a charming bastard when he tried hard enough. He may be a bit socially awkward but he had a way with grandparents.

He still wasn't sure what to make of the man. He obviously wasn't the cold unreachable star that he had first made him out to be. But who he was, Yuri still couldn't figure that out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peep Phichit’s social media coming in. Plus more Viktor and Yuri.
> 
> I haven't posted a chapter in a bit, I've been a bit busy with school and mentally. I've been trying to write this chapter for a bit and I finally finished it. I have spring break coming up soon so hopefully, I'll be able to write more. Let me know what you think about the chapter!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://heyitsline1.tumblr.com/)


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